Catherine O’Hara’s Cause of Death Revealed

Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death has now been confirmed, and new details have been shared about her final days.

According to TMZ, which said it obtained her death certificate, O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism. The document also listed rectal cancer as an underlying condition. Page Six reported that paramedics were called to her Los Angeles home at 4:48 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, after she became ill. She passed away later that day after being taken to the hospital. Her agency, CAA, said she had been dealing with a “brief illness.”

A pulmonary embolism is a serious and often sudden medical condition. It happens when a blood clot blocks one of the arteries in the lungs. Most of the time, the clot starts somewhere else in the body, usually in the legs. This type of clot in the leg is called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. When a piece of that clot breaks off and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, it becomes a pulmonary embolism.

This blockage makes it hard for blood to reach parts of the lungs. Because of this, oxygen levels in the body can drop quickly. The heart also has to work much harder to push blood through the lungs, which can put a lot of strain on it. In severe cases, this can become life-threatening very fast.

Common symptoms can appear suddenly. People often feel short of breath without warning. Chest pain is also common and may feel sharp or worse when breathing in deeply. Some people experience a fast heartbeat, dizziness, coughing, or even coughing up blood. In the most serious cases, a person can collapse or lose consciousness.

There are several risk factors. Long periods of sitting or not moving, such as during long flights or bed rest, can increase the chance of clots forming. Surgery, cancer, smoking, certain medications, pregnancy, and genetic blood-clotting conditions can also raise the risk. Cancer is important because it can make blood more likely to clot, which increases the chance of a pulmonary embolism.

Treatment usually depends on how serious the blockage is. Doctors often use blood-thinning medicines to stop clots from growing and to prevent new ones. In more dangerous situations, stronger drugs may be used to break up the clot quickly. Sometimes doctors need to remove the clot with a special procedure.

O’Hara had a career that lasted more than five decades and touched many generations of fans. She first became widely known on the Canadian sketch comedy show “Second City Television,” where she won her first Emmy for writing. Over the years, she built a long list of memorable roles in film and television.

Many people remember her as Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s 1988 movie “Beetlejuice,” a role she returned to in the 2024 sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” She also became famous for playing Kate McCallister in the “Home Alone” films alongside Macaulay Culkin. The two stayed close through the years, and O’Hara supported Culkin at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023.

After her death, Culkin shared an emotional message online. “Mama. I thought we had time,” he wrote. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”

O’Hara continued working throughout her life and found new fans later in her career. She reunited with Tim Burton for “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” where she voiced Sally, and later appeared in “Frankenweenie.” Her role as Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” brought her a major comeback and earned her an Emmy in 2020 along with more nominations. In recent years, she also appeared in “The Last of Us” and “The Studio,” receiving two more Emmy nominations in 2025.

Her long career, unique voice, and unforgettable characters left a lasting mark on comedy and film.

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